PSU Football opens season at home on Sept. 8 vs. Mount Ida

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - The 38th season of varsity
football at Plymouth State University begins next Saturday, Sept.
8, when the Panthers host Mount Ida College in a non-conference
match-up at Currier Field.

The Panthers and Mustangs are set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. on
the Panthers' home field. It is PSU's only non-conference encounter
before completing the season with eight New England Football
Conference Boyd Division contests. The Mount Ida Mustangs, visiting
from Newton, Mass., are in their ninth season as a Division III
Independent.

Plymouth State, led by fifth-year head coach Paul
Castonia(left), is coming off a 2006 campaign
that ended with a 4-5 overall record, and a 4-3 mark in the NEFC
Boyd Division, tied for third place. It was PSU's first year back
in the NEFC after a 14-year hiatus. The Panthers gave
league-champion Curry College one of its toughest tests of the
season, and will be looking to challenge Curry, runner-up Endicott,
and the rest of the Boyd schools for this year's division crown.

Mount Ida rebounded from a dismal 1-9 season in 2005 to put
together a respectable 5-4 record last season. The Mustangs opened
their 2007 campaign last Saturday at home with a 27-17 loss to
Norwich University.

Saturday's affair will be the sixth career meeting between
Plymouth State and Mount Ida, with PSU winning three of the first
five encounters. The Panthers coasted to easy victories in 2000
(47-8) and 2001 (43-13), and pulled out a 31-20 decision in 2005.
Mount Ida ran away with a 28-14 win in 2004 in Newton, Mass., and
won last year's contest at home, 19-14.

Following the Mount Ida game, it will be NEFC opponents the rest
of the way for Plymouth State. PSU faces Coast Guard, defending
Bogan Division champions, on Saturday, Sept. 15, followed by the
seven Boyd Division games vs. UMass Dartmouth, Western New England
College, Endicott College, Nichols College, Curry College, MIT, and
Salve Regina University.

The NEFC concludes the regular season with a championship game
between the first-place teams from each division, this year on Nov.
10. The winner of that game receives an automatic berth in the NCAA
Division III Championship Tournament.

After beginning its football program in 1970, Plymouth State was
a member of the NEFC from 1971-91, winning or sharing nine titles
in those 21 seasons. The Panthers won or shared eight straight NEFC
championships from 1981-88. PSU has the 15th-highest career winning
percentage (.628) among all NCAA Division III football programs.

Plymouth State Football ---- 2007 Outlook

Coach Castonia welcomes back plenty of experience on offense,
including seven starters and a handful of others who have seen key
playing time, while the defense will have to rebuild a little, with
just five starters returning, four on the interior line.

"Running backs and receivers is where we have the most
experience on offense," says Castonia. "We also return a decent
amount on the offensive line. Hopefully we'll be more balanced this
year, and will be more successful in the passing game."

The Panthers, who gained nearly 70 percent of their offense on
the ground last year, return their top three running backs in
senior tailback Jeff Mack (Milford, N.H./Milford),
junior fullback Brandon Clough (Gonic,
N.H./Spaulding) and junior fullback/quarterback John
DeMarco (Milford, N.H./Milford). Mack (580 yards, 6 TD
last year) and Clough (405 yards, 3 TD) should both get plenty of
carries, while DeMarco, who has rushed for 800 yards and 12 TDs
over the past two years and passed for 339 yards and five scores
last season, will shift to quarterback.

PSU has its top three receivers back in senior wideouts
Brad Largy (Litchfield, N.H./Campbell) and
Drew Richardson (Newburgh, ME/Hampden Academy) and
senior tight end Adam Long (Plymouth,
Mass./Plymouth South). Largy has 47 career receptions for 767 yards
(16.3 avg.) and six touchdowns, and Long 62 catches for 562 yards
(9.1 avg.) and three scores. Richardson was a Second Team All-NEFC
selection last year after leading the team with 29 receptions.

Senior center Craig Baird (Worcester,
Mass./Holy Name) and junior guard Joe Duval
(Dover, N.H./Dover) top the group of returnees on the offensive
line. Junior Miralem Mulabegovic (Milford, N.H.)
also has starting experience. PSU will have to fill the gap left by
the graduation of right tackle Joe Fellini, the NEFC Boyd Division
Offensive Lineman of the Year.

The strength of the Panther defense will be at the line of
scrimmage, where all four starters return. The leader of the group
is senior co-captain Jeff Ethier (North Attleboro,
Mass./Bishop Feehan), a First Team All-Conference selection at
defensive tackle and four-year starter.

Senior DE Aaron Ellston (Sandown,
N.H./Timberlane) is a three-year starter, and senior DE
Donny Lewis (Merrimack, N.H./Marrimack) and junior
DT Ryan Harrington (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet)
held down starting spots a year ago. Junior Justin
Jarvis (Surry, N.H./Monadnock), a Second Team
All-Conference pick, senior Justin Smith
(Merrimack, N.H./Marrimack) and sophomore Alex
Battaglino (Avon, Conn./Avon) are also returning veterans
who should be solid contributors.

PSU lost all of its starting linebackers to graduation, along
with three of its four starters in the secondary, giving the
Panthers their biggest turnover on defense in several years. The
only other returning starter is junior Mike Lannon
(Sharon, Mass./Sharon), who led the team with 54 tackles and three
fumble recoveries after moving from running back to safety.

Castonia says the defense will be in fine shape.

"We've moved some guys around to different positions," says
Castonia. "We haven't been in this position before where we've lost
so much in one year; not just on defense, but special teams, too.
The good news is that we have more depth than ever, and we're
confident the new guys will fill in well for the ones they're
replacing."

Some of the players seeing new positions include senior
Brent Gallant (Byron, Maine/Mountain Valley), who
moved from the offensive backfield to the defensive secondary, and
junior Tim Nicholson (Franklin, Mass./Franklin),
who switched from tight end to linebacker. Junior defensive back
Mike Chartrand (Ashburnham, Mass./Oakmont
Regional) also returns after taking a year off.

PSU finished with a 4-3 record in the NEFC Boyd Division in
2006, behind Curry and Endicott and tied with UMass Dartmouth and
Nichols. The Panthers will at least know what to expect from their
opponents, an advantage they didn't have last year when they were
new to the NEFC.

"We know Curry is the team to beat," says Castonia, "and all of
the other teams continue to get better and better. We know that
just about anybody can beat anybody on a given Saturday, so we'll
have to be ready for every game."

COACHING STAFF: PSU head coach Paul
Castonia is in his fifth season in charge of the Panthers,
and he has five veteran assistants returning - Lou
Desloges (running backs), Mike McLaughlin
(Def. Coordinator/Def. Backs), Devin Zeman
(Linebackers/Special Teams), Tom Pabst (Offensive
Line), and Jason McDermott (Defensive Line). The
new member of the staff is former Panther captain and All-Star
safety Dan Fallon (Receivers).